…company’s behaviour is an ‘eye-pass’ to Guyanese-AFC
The Alliance For Change (AFC) party has called for a review of the RUSAL contract, with the Guyana government, yesterday saying that the behaviour of the company is a national ‘eye-pass.’
The Russian-owned company which operates locally under the name of Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), has been embroiled in an almost three-year long dispute with the workers’ union over the ‘arbitrary’ dismissal of 50-plus employees.
The call by the AFC during a press conference yesterday, comes on the heels of news on Tuesday that Russian billionaire, Viktor Vekselberg, the Chairman of UC RUSAL, parent company of BCGI, has resigned. Vekselberg quit saying that the heavily indebted company was in deep crisis after a long battle with rival oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
RUSAL has operations at Aroaima and Kwakwani, both Region 10 areas.
On Tuesday also, BCGI officials were absent from a critical arbitration meeting ordered by the Ministry of Labour.
The company reportedly said that its lawyer and senior officials were out of the country and could not attend the meeting.
The workers’ union, Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union (GB&GWU), on Tuesday blasted the absence claiming that it learnt that the officials were at work at the company’s operations at Aroaima.
According to the AFC yesterday, it is outraged at the “continued arrogance and disregard being exhibited” by RUSAL “which continues to disrespect the workers, their families, the laws, and indeed all Guyanese by their continued refusal to engage the workers who were dismissed three years ago. This is an outrage and a national ‘eye-pass’ that all right-minded Guyanese must stand up against.”
The party said that this latest refusal to submit to the lawful process of arbitration is an affront to the labour laws and processes for settling labour disputes.
Disrespect…review
“Foreign companies must be made aware of the laws, customs and practices of our nation, and moreover, to be made to respect and abide by them when here…The government has allowed, because of its nefarious deal-making… RUSAL to continue to treat our workers and their families as sub-humans, and by extension, is allowing this disrespect to be blatantly flaunted on all of our systems and institutions,” the party said in the prepared statement read at a press conference at Sidewalk Café, Middle Street.
“The AFC believes that the time has come for RUSAL to be brought to book and for the contract to be reviewed and terminated if the behaviour continues…We may lose much needed financing, but regain our pride and dignity.”
On Tuesday, GB&GWU’s official, Lincoln Lewis, accused RUSAL of continuing its old ways of disrespecting the union and “raping” the laws of Guyana.
The union threatened to rope in political parties in Parliament over the issue.
The grouse between the union and company started in 2009 with the company accused of arbitrarily suspending 67 workers, who protested operating with defective mining equipment.
Further in December 2009, RUSAL took a decision to discontinue engaging the union, stating that it had terminated the Collective Labour Agreement and measures would be put in place to derecognize the union.
Anger
The dismissals of the workers had seen a number of protests and widespread anger in especially the Linden community, where many families depend on the bauxite industry for a living.
However, since then the company has refused to deal with the union on any issue even though the body represents over 300 employees.
The union official explained that Dr. Nanda Gopaul commenced the arbitration with the union presenting a list of documents it wants RUSAL to provide for examination.
These include the company’s balance sheet, safety policy and production level.
He explained that the union needs to examine the company’s balance sheet to determine compensation for the 57 workers dismissed in 2009, five employees dismissed in 2011 and increases in wages for 2009 and 2010.
Lewis said this is an issue of national pride and the raping of Guyana’s laws should not be tolerated.
There is free trade and there is also fair trade, which requires the laws of countries must be respected, Lewis stated.
He emphasised that there are many who believe that RUSAL provides jobs for Guyanese but the union maintains its position that it cannot accept jobs at the cost of the country’s laws, citizens rights and the country’s pride.
“To accept the treatment of employees by RUSAL is to take your people back into slavery and indentureship,” Lewis insisted.